Asana Tip of The Month: Stepping Forward From Down Dog

Vinyasa is a term used in yoga to indicate movement.  Much like the children’s game of dot-to-dot, asanas (postures) are like dots, and the lines connecting them are transitions between postures which help create a bigger picture.  Postures are connected with the flow of the breath, creating a sequence that takes the practitioner to some desired end: a stable mind, reduction in stress or looking better in jeans are all possible outcomes. 

The yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar has dedicated his life to teaching asana, or the dots, in stationary balance. What an invaluable contribution he has made to our understanding of posture.  If we choose a flow practice instead, moving directly from one posture to the next, clearly now the skill required to do a posture is very different than the skill required to move. 

We make many choices when we move.  Unless we examine what we are doing, the unconscious and mechanical choices we make out of habit and familiarity are not necessarily helpful.  In both stationary asana or vinyasa yoga, moving consciously actually gives you a choice.

With this in mind, I will be posting both stationary asana and movement tips here as well as on tajyoga.com under the title of “Asana Tip of The Month.”  These quick videos are intended to pique your interest in conscious posture and vinyasa work, and hopefully speed your way to ease and grace in your practice.